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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/08/2007 Work Session City of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007 , , The City of Springfield Council met in'a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, October 8, 2007 at 5:34 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Lundberg, Wylie, Ballew and Ralston. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Attorney Matt Cox, City Recorder Aniy Sowa and members ofthe staff. Councilors Woodrow and Pishioneri were absent (excused). The order of the meeting was changed by Mayor Leiken, moving the GatewayIBeltline Intersection Project Update to the first andthe Historic Commission Interviews to second. L GatewayIBeltline Intersection Proiect Update. Transportation Manager Tom Boyatt presented the staff report on this item. Staff is seeking Council direction to review an optimized GatewayIBeltline Intersection project concept with both our public and private stakeholders. These include Federal Highways (FHW A), ODOT, L TD, and directly and indirectly impacted business and property owners. The optimized project concept and a discussion of other potential optimized solutions are included in Attachment A - Council Briefing Memo. Last spring staff became concerned about the cost and impacts of the full Environmental Assessment (EA) Couplet project in relation to the operational benefit ofthose system improvements. In June, Council provided staff direction to investigate an optimized approach to ' the project that could potentially have fewer initial impacts and lower cost, but still meet the intent of the approved Environmental Assessment solution. The project team is narrowing in on the initial phase of an optimized concept and believes it is time to share this concept with our public agency partners and private stakeholders to find out if there are any significant challenges to moving an optimized project forward at this time. Issues that may need resolution could include access and cross over easements, treatment of neighboring intersections, fulfilling any obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A) EA requirements, and appropriately matching up GatewayIBeltline intersection improvements with current and future construction phases of the I-5IBeltline interchange. (Both the intersection and the interchange are pieces of the larger I-5IBeltline Project and are set out in the same environmental document (EA). The City, our consultant contractor, and the ODOT procurement office have successfully amended the current project contract to provide for this work. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 8, 2007 Page 2 Staff would hope to work through any remaining project issues, in addition to any new issues that may result from an optimized project, and bring back a specific project recommendation to Council in January 2008. Mr. Boyatt discussed the issues with the couplet design. He referred to photos in the Council packet which showed the different options for the intersection and couplet designs. He distributed a photo showmg the proposal that staff would recommend. The proposal was of an intersection without the couplet. He described the intersection and the advantages and disadvantages of the proposal. The recommended proposal would allow time to see how the current projects impacted the traffic in the Gateway area. If this could be considered a phase under the Environmental Assessment (EA) documents and the access points could be negotiated, staff would bring it back to Council for approval. This would give five to ten years to see how the full scope of projects affected the area. Councilor Ballew said the last proposal made the most sense and cost the least. She asked about the last proposal compared to the mega-intersection and if it could transition into a mega- intersection at a future date. Mr. Boyatt said that could be the case. The proposal was designed to allow it to be added on to in the future if needed. He noted the green marks on the photos and that those areas represented the landscaping that would be brought into these areas. He noted two areas that would be used for gateway urban treatments to make this the nicest urban facility possible. Stakeholders had offered suggestions for enhancing the entrance of the City, such as flags or fountains. They would look at both landscape and hardscape treatments that would enhance the visual value. Mayor Leiken asked how agreeable PeaceHealth was to this proposal. Mr. Boyatt said hebelieved they were agreeable. Tonight's meeting was to get Council's permission to bring this proposal to the stakeholders on October 16. Mayor Leiken said he appreciated the communication with ODOT, but felt it was also important that PeaceHealth was agreeable. There may need to be some amendments to the original agreements with them to address this proposal. Mr. Boyatt said he believed a meeting was set to go over all of that on October 22 at the staff level. He said it was his belief that with reduced right-of-way takes, this could be on a faster track than originally anticipated. Mayor Leiken asked if Mr. Boyatt was comfortable with the design with the additional employee base in the Gateway area now and in the future. The MLK Parkway was a big advantage regarding traffic in this area. The idea of the couplet was to move traffic. , Mr. Boyatt said the couplet was designed to store traffic. The amount of congestion in either system was comparable. Any proposal would be congested for several hours during the day. Managing the congestion with some additional facility and timing the signals would help. Stacking up the costs and impacts to businesses, he felt this was the best decision. This proposal would allow them to see how the system worked once the other projects were operational. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 8, 2007 Page 3 Mayor Leiken said Springfield would be approaching $2B worth of investment in the Gateway , area. He liked that staff was thinking this through, being creative and waiting to see how the other projects settled. Mr. Boyatt said traffic counts taken now would not have any bearing on anything. A few things needed to happen before true numbers could be found. Councilor Lundberg asked about the priorities in this area. She asked if traffic coming from the north was being prioritized over traffic coming Gateway onto Beltline. Mr. Boyatt said it was prioritized that way so traffic from the east could also be moved. He explained further. Councilor Lundberg said she was happy to see the minimum lane now, but she wanted to make sure it could serve in the future. She said this spoke highly to planning according to what could or couldn't be done over periods of time. This was more realistic than planning out twenty to twenty-five years. It was important that this was agreeable to the hospital. This area was the gateway to the City and she liked the room for additional green space. She appreciated that they were accounting for current growth and future growth to the north. Whatever was planned now needed to accommodate that growth. She was glad we stayed with an at-grade design and she was happy the project was being done incrementally. Mr. Boyatt said doing it incrementally saved money and allowed more flexibility on the next increment. Some of the other options would lock the City into a position that may not be the best in the future. The stakeholder group had not yet seen this so there would be new discussions following the meeting on October 16. Staff would ask the stakeholders to take some time to discuss the proposal that could lead to some modifications. Mayor Leiken said it almost dispelled the notion that something could be planned out twenty years. He' felt this was an excellent test case that showed planning couldn't always be out twenty years. The area of concern for him was the relationship with ODOT and that they were amenable to this idea. Mr. Boyatt said ODOT hadn't built their complete EA alternative for the interchange, but had done it in phases. This would fit into their phasing. Council consensus was to move forward with the recommended proposal and for staff to meet with the stakeholders. Mr. Boyatt said staff would come back to Council iil January with a recommendation for a project. 2. Historic Commission Applicant Interviews. City Planner and Liaison to the Historic Commission, Kitti Gale, presented this item. The Historic Commission has two openings on its seven-member commission. The recruitment for these openings began August 16,2007, and closed September 13,2007. Two candidates have City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 8, 2007 Page 4 applied. The first applicant is Commissioner Kuri Gill, whose term expired September 30, 2007. She has requested to be re-appointed to the Commission. The second applicant is Springfield resident, Sean VanGordon. Section IX, 3.8 ofthe Springfield City Council Operating Policies and Procedures, states that the H. .. Mayor and Council will hold formal interviews of applicants for positions on the Budget Committee, Historic Commission, and Planning Commission and a recommendation from these bodies is not necessary although they may have a representative present to participate in the interview process. . ." Springfield Code 1-10-1, Historic Commission Charge, requires that the seven-member Commission shall be residents; electors; property owners within Springfield; appointees of other Springfield public agencies such as Willamalane Park & Recreation and School District #19; or, specialists with expertise in such fields as architecture, history, architectural history, planning, or ,archaeology who live within the Metro-Area General Plan boundaries. For state certified funding it is recommended that a majority of the Commission have professional qualifications. The two vacancies on the Commission are a result of term expirations. Kuri Gill was appointed to the Commission in November, 2006 to complete the term of Michelle Dennis. Ms. Gill is now applying for her own, first four-year term. The second opening is that of Commissioner Tama Tochihara, who has served on the Commission since April, 2004. She chose not to apply for a second term due to family requirements. The Council determined which questions they would ask of the applicants. Ms. Gale said Kuri Gill was currently on the Historic Commission and was reapplying to stay on for a full term~ The second applicant for the second position, Sean MP VanGordon, was not able to attend tonight's meeting for the interview. Ms. Gale asked if she could have Council's permission to put out a new posting for the second position to try to get additional applicants. Council gave approval for her to put out another news release for the second position. Ms. Gill was interviewed by the Mayor and Council. Mayor Leiken asked Ms. Gill if she had any questions for the Council. Ms. Gill said she didn't have questions for Council. She had served on this committee for a couple of years and had seen the support from the Council. Mayor Leiken thanked Ms. Gill for re-applying. The Council discussed the applicant and came to consensus to re-appoint Ms. Gill to the Historic Commission during the October 15,2007 Council meeting. City of Springfield . Council Work Session Minutes October 8, 2007 Page 5 3. First Station Functional and Space Program. Project Manager Carole Knapel presented the staff report on this item. On July 16, 2007, the City Council authorized the City Manager to execute a contract with Paul Bentley, Architect, for Thurston Fire Station #16 design services. As part of the design services, a Fire Station Functional and Space Program was developed with input from City staff. The Program was necessary to document the current and future functions and space requirements for the new station. In addition, this Program will serve as the model for any future fire station remodels or new construction projects. The Program incorporates Best Management Practices for issues which include the following: · Gender Neutrality/Equity - Individual sleeping rooms and single-user restrooms allow for a gender neutral facility. · ADA Accessibility.;. Restrooms, entrances, and upper floor access (if needed) are all ADA compliant. . Turnout and Equipment Storage - Turnouts must be protected from UV radiation, vehicle exhaust, moisture, and other environmental factors that could cause degradation. · Blue Line Separation - The Blue Line Separation policy prohibits turnouts and other contaminated clothing or equipment in the living areas of the fire station. · Apparatus Storage - Apparatus storage allows for drive-through bay access for two primary response vehicles (engine and ambulance) and stacked bay access for two backup response vehicles. These design requirements impact the square footage requirements for any fire station which is designed to be consistent with Best Management Practices. The project team looked at three options for the new fire station. The option included in the Program (Option A) is 11,862 sq. ft. This design provides for the Best Management Practices in the most complete manner. Option B includes 9550 square feet. It addresses the most important functional requirements in a reduced square foot allocation. Option C includes 7796 square feet, but eliminates space for some required functions. City staff recommends that the Thurston Fire Station be designed in accordance with Option B because it meets all the requirements consistent with Best Management Practices in the most economical manner. Ms. Knapel noted that this program document could be used as a model for other fire stations as they became ready for remodel or reconstruction. She discussed the different options and how they fit the best management practices. She discussed Option C, which was closest to the cost and size that was originally discussed with Council, but would not accommodate all of the best management practices. Councilor Ralston said he was glad to hear staff recommended Option B. He asked why the building was required to be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible since the fireman had strict physical standards and would not be using it. Ms. Knapel said staff did some research and found that the U.S. Justice Department had written an opinion that the building needed to be ADA accessible. In the event of an emergency, fire stations were often a refuge for citizens and would need to be ADA accessible in those instances. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 8, 2007 Page 6 Accessibility also needed to be available for maintenance or administrative personnel, or Fire and Life Safety employees that were released back to work on light duty. Councilor Ralston asked if this was for the current site and if it would be a two-story building. Ms. Knapel said it would be built on the current site. Staff had asked the architect to make two options, one as a one-story, and one as a two-story. Staff would bring those two options back to Council for approval. Councilor Ballew said she didn't recall the replacement cost being so high. Ms. Knapel said the original estimate from the architect was about $1.9M, but that did not include some of the City costs, including staff time, permit f~es and other costs. Councilor Ballew asked if there would be elevators. Ms. Knapel said if the building was two stories, elevators would be part of the ADA requirement. Councilor Wylie asked about parking the largest vehicle. Ms. Knapel said ill Option B only one bay could accommodate the largest vehicle. Mayor Leiken asked Chief Murphy if the firefighters were o.k. with Option B. Chief Murphy said the firefighters agreed with Option B and felt it fit the budget. The firefighters participated in the discussions regarding the plan. Captain RodneyStewart from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) was present in the audience. Captain Stewart said the firefighters had a lot of input in this option. He referred to turnout storage and the need for separate storage. The fitness room was important. Also, the apparatus bay was important for safety. Option B allowed pull-throughs for the first-out ambulance and the first-out engine, allowing them to keep an ambulance and engine available for the shift change during a busy time of day. The living quarters in Option B were much like those in Fire Station 5. The IAFF approved of Option B. Mayor Leiken said once the station was complete, it wo~ld be there for a long time. Thurston was a growing residential area, and he wanted to make sure this option would grow with the area. He wanted to make sure it was done right. He appreciated Captain Stewart's feedback. He . commended Ms. Knapel and her team for providing Council with detailed information. Councilor Lundberg said she agreed with Option B. She said she hoped notes had been taken ' since the beginning of this process so we could learn from this experience. She agreed F&LS was a critical service and providing adequate facilities for firefighters was important. , Councilor Ralston asked why this was named Fire Station 16. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 8, 2007 Page 7 Chief Murphy explained why the station had been renamed when Eugene and Springfield coordinated efforts. Mayor Leiken asked if all new public buildings were required to be ADA accessible. Mr. Leahy said that was correct. When asked by Ms. Knapel for an opinion, the City Attorney's office stated that point. They didn't want the City to be in a position of not being able to provide those types of facilities for those that needed them in a public building. Later, Ms. Knapel found ' the Department of Justice opinion which said the same thing. 4. Fire Station 16 Temporary Housing. Budget Officer Bob Brew presented the staff report on this item. Temporary housing is needed to accommodate assigned Fire and Life Safety personnel during the demolition and construction of , Fire Station 16. A Request for Bids was prepared and a bid was received for temporary housing facilities. The Thurston Fire Station (Fire Station 16) has been uninhabitable for the past 12+ months. During that period, personnel assigned to that station have been living in temporary office trailers located on-site. While the status of the Station was in flux, these trailers were viewed as a temporary solution; however, now that it is clear that the new station will be in construction for 12-18 months, a more appropriate housing solution is required. A Request for Bids was prepared and distributed for an 18-month lease of a 36' x 60' temporary office building to be fitted as a residence, with five bedrooms, an office, a kitchen, laundry facilities, two restrooms, and a central living area. One responsive bid was received from Modern Building Systems, Inc. in an amount of $69,040 for an 18-month lease. Mr. Brew noted that the firefighters had been living in dormitory trailers since September 2005.' He gave some of the specifications of the current living situation that made it difficult for the firefighters and affected response time. He discussed the proposed temporary facility and the options that were before Council. Consideration had been made to purchase the temporary housing, but staff felt leasing the housing on an adjoining site would be a better option. He explained why. Currently the fire apparatus was kept in a heated tent. Mr. Brew said this would come back to Council on October 15 for their final decision. Councilor Ballew asked for a comparison of costs associated with current living conditions and the proposed temporary housing. She would prefer to see a side by side chart showing that comparison for future items. Mr. Brew noted anecdotally what the costs were now compared to the proposed costs. Councilor Ralston asked about the food cost. Mr. Brew said there was a set amount allocated to the firefighters for breakfast ($10) and dinner ($15). Lunch was on their own. The firefighters turned in their receipts and were reimbursed. He said he would be back on October 15 for a decision. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 8, 2007 Page 8 Mr. Grimaldi said the functional and space item would also be brought to Council for their final decision on October 15. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:44 pm. Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa ( '\. " Attest: ..~~~ Amy So City Recorder '